Letting Go
by FangedCalliope
Summary: The way a Spuffy reunion shoul go.


It's not mine. Joss Whedon an Mutant Enemy have all the luck.

Sunnydale, California, The Hellmouth

_The cavern shook_, _sending a huge chunk of the far wall rocketing down into the chasm_ _that was widening in its depths. Spike turned to her, a reckless grin on his handsome face._

_"Better get a move on lamb,_ _I think its safe to say school's out for bloody summer_."

"_Spike,–"_

_Spike grimaced as another bolt of light shot out of his chest. "I mean it!" he yelled "I've gotta do this."_

_Feeling her heart squeeze within her Buffy reached out and took his hand. Her eyes widened and she gasped as she realized she could feel his soul. Could feel its light pulsing through his palm into hers, something in her answered, and her eyes widened in wonder as she felt their souls touch, and their conjoined hands burst into flames._

_"I love you."_

_Spike looked at her sadly."No, you don't." And she almost cried out as she felt the connection break. " But thanks for saying it." Another quake rocked the cavern as Buffy's heart nearly halted at his words, the ground rocked violently beneath her, and she let go of his hand. "Now go!" He yelled. He turned his face from her, staring at the destruction that was pouring from his chest._

_Buffy turned and ran. Out into the sunlight. Out into the sweet spring air._

_But the light felt cold. _

_Turning to look back she found herself once again in the cavern, watching in horror as Spike's skin began to burn._

_"Spike!" she screamed. But he couldn't hear her._

_You don't. You don't. You don't._

"_No!" Buffy screamed. "No!"_

_And Spike laughed as the glory overtook him, and he burned away. _

_"No! No!–_"

"No!"

Florence, Italy

Buffy woke in bed with a shout. Moonlight streamed in through high arched window, the cool night air whispered against her hair, chilling her sweat soaked skin. She was in her bed, in the small Villa, a ridiculously patterned hotel blanket tangled amidst her legs. This was Italy. The Hellmouth was closed and half a world away, and Spike was—_Oh God._ Buffy felt her chest tighten as the familiar jolt of loss went through her.

"Buffy?" Dawn's groggy voice called causing her to jump. From the twin bed across the room, her sister peered blearily at her, her body half raised up on her arm. Dawn's brown hair was tousled from sleep, sticking out in all sorts of crazy directions. Buffy looked tenderly at the sleepy girl.

"Its nothing Dawny, go back to sleep."

Dawn however, was not to be daunted. With a sigh the ex-key heaved off the bed and swung her legs to the floor. "You were dreaming again weren't you." It wasn't exactly a question.

"Yes." Buffy said quietly, hugging her knees to her chest.

"The same one?"

"Yes." It came out barely a whisper.

"Buffy–" Her sister began, looking at her with concern.

"No. I won't let Willow manipulate my sleep Dawn, we've already talked about this."

"But she said it'd be easy." Dawn protested. "And she did it for Xander. He said it was beautiful that he got to tell Anya goodbye, and no more bad dreams."

"I'm not doing it Dawn. Now let it rest."

"A thing neither of us will be getting much of if this keeps up."

"So move to another room." Buffy snapped , then winced inwardly at the look of hurt that flashed across her sisters face. __

_Why can't any of them understand?_ She wondered. _I don't want to say goodbye._

Since Willow had discovered the ability to dreamwalk she had finally been able to find peace for the many Scoobies that were afflicted with nightmares. Everyone had tried to convince Buffy, but the Slayer had refused. She hung onto the dreams because they were all she had left, even if they were nightmares. She could see Spike's face, feel his skin, smell him. Just briefly she could feel him close to her, and in the morning it was gone. Not like the slightly scorched photograph of their mother that Dawn had carried though the battle in her pocket, or the scarf of Anya's that Xander was never without, or Tara's ring that Willow never took off, but it was something. All Buffy had were the dreams.

"Dawny I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I don't know what's wrong with me I–"

"But I do." The teen cut in. Standing up she crossed the room to sit on the bed in front of Buffy, staring intently into her older sister's face. "Its just like time you thought you saw Spike in Rome."

Buffy winced at the memory. She had seen a bleached head over the top of the crowd, filled with a elation she had chased the person down. Only to find a very surprised tourist with bad goatee. She hadn't spoken to anyone for days, holing up in her room to the wave of anguish subsided and she could face the world again.

"You look for him around every corner." Dawn continued irately. "Everyone's afraid to mention him around you because you go all quiet and cold ." _Have you even cried yet Buffy?_ Dawn wondered silently staring at the tense face of her sister, knowing the answer was no. She had cried with the rest of them of course: for Anya, for the Slayers, for Sunnydale and its countless dead. But she had not yet cried for Spike. For Buffy that would have been too much of a betrayal, too much of a final resignation. "And I want to talk about him." Dawn continued, voice quavering. "He was my friend too Buffy, and it's not fair."

"Oh Dawn." Buffy choked, pulling her sister into an embrace. "I'm so sorry. I just don't know what to do."

"You have to let go Buffy."

"I can't Dawny."

"Why not?" Dawn pulled back to look at Buffy in frustration.

"Because he said he'd never leave."

"Buffy......"

"I feel like I'm waiting for something Dawn. Every day. Like he's–"

"He died Buffy." Dawn said as gently as she could.

"No he didn't. He burned Dawny. The-- that thing I give him, it burned him away. We don't even know where his soul ended up, we don't even know where he is." Buffy stared at her younger sister with wide eyes, hands gripping her shoulders in a nearly bruising grasp. There was a long silence then, "You should go see Angel." Dawn said finally.

"What?" That was certainly the last thing Buffy had expected her to say.

"You should go see Angel." Dawn repeated. "He's the one that gave you the hero's whosiwhatsy, he'll know if anyone will, where Spike–what exactly might have happened to him. But you have to promise me something:"

The Slayer smiled weakly "Okay."

"Whatever you find out. When you come back you'll let it go. Because you're not living Buffy. And that's not what he'd want."

Buffy reached out to stroke a lock of hair back from Dawn's earnest face. "How'd you get so smart huh?" She asked huskily, "I thought I was supposed to be older wiser one."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Aside form obvious reasons, which I will not mention, I'm technically like, thousands of years old."

"Or technically three and half." Buffy reminded her.

"Whatever." Dawn replied with another roll of her eyes, padding quietly back over to her own bed. "Now I for one would like to get some sleep. I want to be plenty lucid when I watch you explain why you're going to LA in morning. And why none of us can come with you."

Buffy groaned and flung a pillow at her sister; then lay down on her back, absently rubbing her tingling right palm till she finally drifted off to sleep.

_Once again she was watching Spike as he began to burn, laughing at the fact that he was saving the world, laughing at the fact that she had said she loved him, laughing at the massive joke that had been his entire life. _

_"No!" Buffy screamed again. Wanting so much to tell him that he wasn't a joke. That it had all been real. But he couldn't hear her._

_This time she stayed, crying as his skin ignited, watching as he crumbled to dust. And then the light winked out. And she was sitting in a formless blank space, a pale and tired Spike standing before her, staring at her in surprise._ _"Buffy?" He whispered._ _Trembling she reached out her hand towards his, holding her breath as they almost touched, then frowned in puzzlement as his hand seemed to meet an invisible barrier. _

_Knock knock knock. _

_Frowning Spike reached for her again only to wince as he once again met a clear wall. Buffy sat on the other side, a look of longing on her beautiful face as she reached for him. Spike growled in frustration, he had to reach her, pulling back he threw a punch at the wall._

_Knock knock knock! _

_Buffy was fading, her form growing hazy and indistinct_, _they were both being pulled away from each other, hands gripping some unseen force on the other side. Buffy looked at him sadly. _

_"Why can't you just let go?" Scowling in frustration at her words Spike continued using his free fist to pound against the wall. _

_Knock knock, knock, knock_!

Knock!

L.A. , (The City of Angels)

"Sod off!" Spike yelled as he was ripped from slumber, Buffy's presence abruptly winking out.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Cursing Spike stumbled out of bed, hopping on one leg then other as he pulled on his pants. It was barely past noon, late for many, but damn early for a vampire who had spent the evening eradicating a nest of Morgloth demons. Cursing absently as he tripped over the scattering of beer bottles on his dingy floor he growled as his fingers finally closed around the doorknob.

"What!" He roared yanking the door open and glaring at the person on the other side. He then cursed inwardly as he was confronted with the wide eyes of a young woman, obviously an office temp, who stood on the other side of the door, staring fearfully at his glaring countenance and sleep tousled hair, also, he noticed, absent mindedly, his bare chest. With a patented deer in the headlights expression.

"Y- you're needed at the office ." She stammered, clutching her clipboard to her chest like weapon.

"Oh bloody hell!" Spike growled, turning and rummaging around on the floor for his shirt, "this had better be good."

LA, Wolfram&Hart's Offices

Angel trudged wearily into his office, slamming the door behind him. Flopping gloomily into his desk chair he shoved a heavy pile of files aside to make a place for his mug of blood. How he missed Angel Investigation, non-evil employees, much less paperwork, glancing up Angel let out a yelp. Standing in front of his desk was a very petite and familiar blonde Slayer.

Buffy smiled nervously. "Hi Angel."

"I'm telling you," Spike grumbled at Gunn as the elevator clicked its way up to the top floor. "Next time you drag me out of bed it had better be for something important." The tall black man to his right heaved a sigh.

"Well technically, you were the only one we knew with information on this particular type of–"

"Bollocks." Spike huffed. "There wasn't anything I told you that Little Miss Brains couldn't have whisked off her gadgets down in that laboratory."

"Man you are sweet as ever today." Gunn drawled. "We wake you up from an important dream or something?"

Spike glared expressively at the taller man, as they stepped out of the elevator. "You have no idea."

"Buffy."Angel said carefully. She frowned in puzzlement as his eyes flicked nervously around the room. What was up with him? "What are you doing here....." He trailed off at her slightly hurt expression. "I mean hi, how are you."

Buffy smiled, gesturing at the cloth wrapped package on his desk. "Well Giles wanted to send you this manuscript, and you know how protective he can be about his books." She chirped, inwardlt kicking herself. _Oh way to go Buff. Start with lying to him. That's just great._

"I certainly do." Angel smiled back at her, frantically wondering how he could get word to Gunn and tell him not to bring Spike up to his office. "Wesely's the same way."

Silence stretched between the two.

_Did she come here to see me?_ Angel wondered hopefully.

_Oh God, he looks so hopeful. _Buffy realized, agitatedly running her damp palms over her jeans. _How can I ask him?_

"So you're running quite the-- is the right word racket? Out here." Buffy blurted finally, twining her fingers nervously in her hair. "I mean, how many cars do you have any--whuh?" She gasped suddenly, eyes going wide as the strangest feeling assailed her senses. A cold tickle up her spine, that she always got when there was a vampire close, but also a tugging in the pit of her stomach, strangely like the sense she used to get from Angel, but different, more intense; and Angel was standing right in front of her.

The dark haired vampire looked at her with concern, "Buffy, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine I'm....." Absently she rubbed her hand across the pit of her stomach, a frown crease still between her brows. "Its nothing." She smiled reassuringly at Angel. "Gotta watch that junk food." She glanced appreciatively at her surroundings. " This is a nice place."

Angel exhaled in relief, covering it with his smile."Glad you like it."

"So I'm here for a meeting with the Fearless Leader eh?" Spike grumbled as he and Gunn started down the hallway towards Angel's office. "This mean I'm finally gettin my corner office? Or did the poof run out of hair gel again?" Swaggering down the toupe painted hallway Spike paused as a strangely familiar scent niggled at nostrils. Still walking he turned his head to sniff at it curiously, and stopped as if hit by a sledgehammer. The sweet smell of sun warmed air and hot sand, mixed inexplicably with perfume. Sunshine.

_Buffy_.

Spike felt his knees go weak, the overwhelming desire to run down the hall and crush her into his arms like he'd been dreaming of for months; and the mind blowing fear telling him to run in the other direction effectively holding him immobilized.

"Man, are you alright?"Gunn asked with concern. The blonde vamp was standing ramrod straight every nerve in his body straining towards Angel's office at the end of the hall. "Spike?" Gunn asked again, laying a tentative hand on the vamp's rigid shoulder. Spikes face whipped towards his, the mixture of hope, pain, and overwhelming desperation blazing from his eyes causing the surprised Gunn to take a step back. Without a word Spike turned and tore off back down the hall, his duster billowing out behind him.

"Yeah suits of armor, non burny windows," Buffy prattled walking nervously around the room. She paused, there it was again, that low subtle tug, stronger this time. Still babbling brightly she walked purposefully towards the office doors. "Nice furniture, nice upholstery, nice," She grasped the doorknob.

"Buffy...." Angel began.

"Doors." Buffy finished whipping it quickly open, her breath catching in her throat as an unexplained feeling of expectancy bloomed in her chest.

"Hi I'm Charles Gunn, and you are?" Buffy gaped stupidly at the handsome black man standing before her, a feeling of renewed loss causing her to blink back sudden tears in the corner of her eyes.

"Uh, Buffy. Buffy Summers." She said brightly, shaking the offered hand in front of her.

Gunn looked down at the small blonde woman, catching the pain in her eyes just before she shoved it aside. So this was Buffy. She was dressed in a simple white blouse and jeans, soft blonde hair stopping just above her elbows. Sparkly earrings adorned her ears and a simple cross hung low on her throat. Gunn smiled, quite the looker too, though not exactly his type.

"Nice to meet you Miss Summer's, I've heard a lot about you." Buffy looked up at him, startled by the compassion in his eyes.

"Oh." She said stupidly. Standing aside to let him pass into the room, she successfully fought back the overwhelming surge of grief that threatened to choke her. __

_What did you expect Buffy._ She asked herself violently._ He's gone. You have got to stop looking for him around every corner._

"Didn't we have three o'clock?" Angel asked Gunn curiously.

"Uh, yeah." Gunn replied still glancing curiously at Buffy. "He uh, had to run."

Spike collapsed halfway down the stairs, flopping gracelessly onto the cold metal step, he buried his head in shaking hands.

_Buffy. _

"Get a grip you bleedin ponce." Spike growled into his hands.He had thought about this day, dreamed about this day, ever since he had found himself standing in Angel's office, with an equal measure of anticipation and fear. Well, realized Spike with a wry half grin, the fear came when he thought about it. When he dreamed about it things usually went in fairly predictable fashion.

_But she is here you duffer._ Spike gritted at himself. _And, I very much doubt she's lying on the desk with no clothes on._ If he went to her now he'd have absolutely no control over what would happen He would stay here, just sit tight till she left.

_What? And let that wanker have his way with her?_ The thought was almost more than he could bear. Spike let out a roar and sent his fist crashing into the wall. Angel was up there with her. She had come to see Angel, for obvious reasons, he should just stay put. __

_She said she loved me._ Spike pressed his hands violently into his ears, trying to drown out the persistent sound of his inner voice. _Yeah, just like she told me I meant something to her and then went and shoved her tongue down Cro-Magnon's throat_. He hissed back, anger building inside him as he recalled the memory. He had never liked the feeling of not being in control, never liked the helplessness that being in love with her had left him. That was probably why he had tried so hard to kill her in the first place. But he had never been able to, something always stopped him, Spike angrily shunted that thought off to the side. His anger was much easier to deal with, much easier than the pain and uncertainty. She had used him. Used him as a weapon, used him for her own needs, used his death. And now she was up there having a happy reunion with the bloody ponce. He wouldn't have it. Spike decided, surging to his feet. He would go up there now, he would break up their happy reunion, he would tell her exactly what he thought of her. Than he would leave. The world was wide, and they deserved each other. With his patented sneer fixed on his face Spike turned and bounded up the stairs.

Angel swallowed the surge of bile that threatened to choke him. "You're here about Spike?" he squeaked. "How did you know?"At Buffy's confused look he quickly caught himself. "I mean why do you think I'd know anything about that." He finished lamely.

Buffy was too busy being nervous to notice his slip, she looked down at her hands, anxiously twisting them in her lap. "Because you gave me the Amulet." The blonde took a deep breath and met Angel's eyes. "Angel I have to know. Anything you can tell me about where he is or what might have happened to him."

From across the room Gunn observed the too ex-lovers, wincing inwardly at Buffy's question.. He knew how much Angel loved Buffy, and how this exchange must be hurting him, but from what he had seen in the hall, both on Spike's face and on Buffy's, he couldn't help but feel himself siding with Spike's claim. He knew better than to interfere however, this was Angel's decision, and he hoped his friend would make the right one.

_You better get your pale ass up here vampire. _He thought to himself, _cause who knows what side's gonna win._

Spike was nearing the end of hall, the double doors of Angel's office filling his vision. _Right. I'll grab her tell her exactly what I think of her, than I'll never let her go. Oh bloody hell!" _Spike swore. How had the plan in his head so drastically changed? It had started with the grab her, then wavered with the idea of touching her, then other thoughts had started tumbling into his brain, thoughts much less easy to deal with. __

_No! _Spike roared at himself. Running a hand savagely through his bleached hair he got a tight grip on his rage and raised his hand to knock on the door. He was angry. He was furious. He was--

_Terrified._

In his office Angel gritted his teeth, than took a deep breath "Buffy, " he began, completely unsure if what came out of his mouth would be the truth or a fantastic lie. Then stopped as the small Slayer suddenly went rigid in her chair, her head whipping around towards the door.

Buffy felt another shiver pass through her body. Something was out there. Buffy stood and gave Angel a motion for silence, then drawing a stake form the belt at the back of her jeans she stood and made her silently towards the door. Angel watched her go, an iron band tightening around his heart._ Goodbye Buffy._

The world seemed to melt away as Buffy walked to the twin panels of wood at the end of the room. Carefully she closed her hand around the knob, another strange tingle of expectancy in her stomach, and yanked the door open. The stake fell to the carpet with a muffled thud. Her hand found its way unconsciously up to her mouth as stared in mute amazement at the last person she'd expected on the other side, the only person she had hoped to see around every corner and on the other side of every door. Spike.

Spike couldn't move either, he stood in place, his hand still raised in the act of knocking, all coherent thought wiped from his mind. If he'd planned words he couldn't recall them. If he'd tried to move he wouldn't have remembered how. The sight of her, his Slayer, his Buffy, it was enough to just drink her in and know that he could die again right then, and die happy.

Buffy stared at the man before her, the taught leanness of his body, the sculpted planes of his face, the swirling blue depths of his eyes. She was afraid that if she touched him he would shatter into a thousand pieces, she knew that if she didn't she would. It was that last thought that galvanized her arm into moving, ever so slowly she raised her hand to his face. Softly, so softly, barely a whisper of a touch, Buffy let her fingertips brush along one sharp cheekbone, tracing it down his face.

Spike's eyes fell shut as her fingertips pressed his cheek. Her softest touch trailing a line of fire down his face that spread and multiplied until he felt his whole body begin to come awake.

Buffy's eyes filled with tears as touched him and found his flesh to be real, they spilled over when he closed his eyes. Shifting her focus she reached up her other hand, lifting it to his right, still frozen in midair and lacing her fingers through his. Spike's eyes snapped open as he felt her fingers slide through his, he stared mutely into her wide green eyes, slowly enfolding her warm fingers with his own trembling ones.

_SNAP_!

The sound echoed through the building as their palms met, a jolt of electric energy jarring through both their bodies.

"No!" An angry voice snarled to their right. Buffy and Spike's head's whipped around in surprise to see a very pissed off Eve striding down the hall towards them. "This isn't in the plan." In her hand dangled the Champion's amulet, an angry glowing crack lacing though its center. Stilletto heels striking angrily into the carpet she strode to a stop before Buffy. "You stupid little bitch." She hissed, her normally nonchalant face an ugly mask. "You have no idea what you're messing with."

Spike whirled to face her, pushing Buffy protectively behind him, he stepped towards Eve, eyes blazing. "No one talks to my Slayer that way little girl." He advanced towards her with a low growl, letting go of Buffy's hand in the process. As soon as he did the light in the Champion's amulet wavered and went out. "Me and her," Spike continued. "We're leavin 'ere, you can stick to playin your bloody mind games with Peaches, because as of now I'm out." Deliberately turning his back on her he faced Buffy once again, tenderly reaching out to cup her face with his palm. "Ready to go luv?" He asked softly, running a gentle hand along her jaw-line. Over his shoulder Buffy's eyes widened.

"Spike." she whispered urgently. With a cry of pain the blonde vampire suddenly collapsed to his knees. "Spike!" Buffy cried. Reaching for him as he was enveloped in a dangerous red glow.

"Leave?" Eve asked lightly, holding before her the Champions amulet which now pulsed with angry red light. "No, I don't think so. You see sweetums," she smiled winningly at Buffy. "This," She jerked the amulets chain and Spike moaned, "is the reason he's here, he's not leaving, he can't. It held him when he died, and now you're the reason he has to go back."

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhg!" Spike screamed as a light once more shot out of his chest, arrowing past the horrified Gunn and Angel who were pinned motionless in the office doorway.

"Spike!" Buffy screamed again knowing he was beginning to burn.

"You see honey," Eve continued in a conversational tone, "he'll burn to cinders, and then ash, and then it'll all get sucked back into tidy little storage here, where he can be spit back out anytime we want him."

"No!" Buffy screamed, lunging towards Spike she grabbed his hands in hers knocking them both to their knees with the impact of her desperate lunge.

"You're really becoming a problem." Eve grated. "Gunn," she smiled at the man in the doorway. "Shoot." Gunn's eyes went instantly red and he started towards Buffy.

"No!" Angel yelled, tackling his friend to the floor.

"Spike." Buffy gasped. Tears streaming down her face as their entwined hands burst into flames. Anguish filled his eyes as he looked at her, the beam of light that poured from him was now streaming into her chest, flames were beginning to lick up both their wrists. "You have to let go luv." He whispered.

"No." Buffy sobbed. Wincing as she felt the flesh on her hands begin to burn. Neither of them saw the small thread of light that was once again lacing though the glowing crystal.

"Buffy, please, don't do this, you have to let me go."

Tremors had begun to rock through the building, raining bits of mortar from the ceiling.

"No." Buffy yelled. "I won't do this again!" Even as another thread of light began to pierce through the glow of red in the amulets center Spike noticed the flames traveling further up Buffy's arms and panic seized him.

"GO!" He roared vamping into his demons face and snarling into her startled eyes.

"NO!" Buffy yelled back tears streaming down her face. "If you go I'm going with you." Wincing with the effort she managed to drag her knees closer to him. "I love–"

"You don't." Spike gasped, grasping desperately at the last straw he thought might make her let go."And I don't love you." Her eyes widened in shock, and his heart twisted within him as he tried to jerk his hands from her grip. "You owe me nothing." He snarled . Yellow eyes just inches from her own. "I don't need your guilt or your pity and I sure as hell don't need you to die with me! I don't want you and don't love you. Now let me die in peace!"

In Eve's hand above them the cracks of light in the glowing crystal flickered and died.

Buffy looked down at the smoking carpet, feeling her shoulders slump in defeat, her whole body was screaming in pain and her heart had turned to led at his words. She was so tired. So very, very tired. There was so much rage between them, so much pain, things left unsaid. She wanted nothing more than to curl up in a cool dark place, where there was no blinding glory, and her blood wasn't burning , but, without Spike, what was the point? __

_None._

Buffy took a deep breath and let go, not of their hands, but of her fear and doubt. Slowly she raised her eyes to meet Spike's demon visage. Behind them, on the floor, Gunn continued to grapple with Angel, both of them wrestling for the stake that lay on the carpet just out of reach. Buffy looked straight into the blazing feral eyes before her, a slight smile curving her lips.

"But _I_ love _you_." She whispered. "And that means I'm not letting go, even if you don't love me, even if this is it, I'm not letting you go." The yellow eyes before her flickered and deepened and became the deep blue of dazzling sky. Spike's eyes in a demon's face. Wide, and amazed, and finally accepting of the truth she had told him.

In the office doorway Gunn succeeded in throwing Angel off of him. He grabbed the stake and stalked towards Buffy, damage intent on his face.

"I love you Spike." Buffy whispered again, wincing as her arms began to burn. Spike gazed into her shining eyes, feeling the welter of doubt confusion, anger, and fear rear up and threaten to choke him with its rage, the demon in him snarling for pain and blood. Gathering up the monster inside of him he prepared for a last desperate strike that would throw her from him, and stopped when he was met by the calm steadfastness of her eyes. There was nothing but truth before him. Spike sighed, and let it go. A single tear fell from his eye, trailing a line of silver down his cheek.

"I love you Buffy." Spike whispered back, voice hoarse from pain. Blue eyes met green in complete acceptance, the emotions pouring between the two sealing their fate without words. There was moment of lurching silence when everything in the building stopped and held its breath. Then the amulet in Eve's hand flickered and sputtered, the warring energies within seeming to expand and contract.

"No!" Eve shrieked terror and confusion on her face, and the amulet exploded, sending forth a sheet of brilliant silver light, the noise of it's cracking drowned out by the combined screams of the two lovers joined in its path. Buffy watched in amazement as the flames on their arms turned into white light, running though their joined hands into Spike. "Buffy." He whispered as the shining flames covered his body and he began to burn.

Buffy screamed as the light covered Spike's body. She could feel her bones creaking her muscles jar and cramp as the flood of energy rushed through the man in front of her sending searing pain through her body, boiling her blood in her veins. His soul was burning her, soon there would be nothing of her left, but still she hung on. Energy pulsed through their palms, till Buffy could not tell where she left off and Spike began, but still she did not let go, her eyes never left Spike's face as his demon visage ignited, and crumbled, and burned into dust. Light shot out of their combined hands then exploded throughout the building in a ripple of light. The blast flung Eve against the wall like rag doll, it knocked the redness from Gunn's eyes and turned the weapon in his hands to ash. A tiny piece of it landed inside Angel and he gasped as his soul was laced with searing light.

In her lab belowground Fred screamed as the silver light raced through the room, incinerating half her lab equipment and a few members of the staff. She buried her face in Westley's chest where they stood pressed against the wall, his arms protectively shielding her from the blast.

In his office Lorne yelped, and leaped up from his chair, a thousand voices suddenly singing in his head.

Through the building the wave of light raced leaving nothing it touched the same, it finally landed on the bed of a sleeping figure, before receding and winking out. And somewhere in the labyrinthine warren of Wolfram&Hart, Cordelia Chase opened her eyes.

Buffy was the first to recover, gasping harshly, she stiffly raised her aching body from its half bent over position on the floor.

"Hi." She said shakily gazing bemusedly into a pair of astonished blue eyes. Spike stared back at her, his eyes holding a world of hope and love, never to wear a demon's visage again. Buffy could remember, would always remember, the moment when she had felt their souls connect. How she had watched the demon's features burn away like a paper mask to the beautiful face beneath. Wincing slightly Buffy managed to extricate one of her hands from Spike's grip. She pried her numb fingers open to lay a tentative hand over his chest, feeling her own heart swell as she felt his beat for the very first time.

"William." She whispered, a smile lighting her face. Spike reached out the hand she'd freed to run it gently through her hair.

"Oh Buffy."

Something within Buffy finally snapped, the cold knot of hope and pain that

she had carried since his death cracked and broke, and she began to sob. As the mangled gasp of sound broke free so did Spike, pulling her swiftly and suddenly into his arms in a grip that crushed their shaking bodies almost painfully together. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling her smell, her being, trying to absorb her into him through all the places they touched.

"Shh. It's alright luv. Its alright. Its over, and I'm never leaving you again."

Slowly her arms came around him, tightening as she hugged him fiercely back, Buffy turned her face so that she sniffeled into his neck, her hands fisting in his shirt.

"You promise." she muttered wetly against the hollow at the base of his throat.

Spike let out a watery chuckle, stroking his hands lovingly down her back. "Oh you've done it now luv. You'll have to stake me to keep me away." He paused for a moment, a speculative look crossing his face. "Though now it seems even that wouldn't work." Spike pulled back to look at her, reverently cupping her face in his hands, he used his thumbs to wipe away the tears that still trickled form the greeny depths of her eyes. "Looks like your stuck with me for good now, Goldlilocks." he said softly, leaning slowly towards her mouth.

Buffy swallowed hard, her stomach fluttering as his face moved towards hers. "Good."she whispered fiercely, and he smiled as their lips met.

The kiss was gentle and deep, sending sweetness singing through both their bodies, it sent out tiny shockwaves, healing the scars left by separation and pain. __

_Home._

The thought came from both of them and Spike gasped into Buffy's mouth as the process that had started when she first touched him became complete and he felt warm for the first time in one hundred and thirty years.

"Spike." Buffy murmured breathlessly against his mouth when they finally broke the kiss. "I love you."

Brushing a strand of hair away from her face with a shaking hand he looked deep into his love's eyes. "And I love you."

Buffy smiled dazedly at him."Take me out of here please." Grinning he shook the tears from the corners of his eyes and scooped her into his arms, grunting slightly as his stiff knees protested.

"Anything to keep my Slayer happy." Spike said grandly. Neither of them really noticed that he didn't seem to have lost any of his strength.

Spike smiled, turning to go, and stopped abruptly in front of weary looking Angel. "Peaches." He nodded cockily at the older vampire. "Looks like you'll be getting the run of things again."Angel smiled weakly at him.

"I think you got the better end of the bargain" he said softly, a resigned sadness radiating from his eyes as he gazed at the tiny blonde in Spike's arms. Buffy shifted against her lover's grasp, "Put me down Spike." She commanded, squeaking as his grip on her tightened.

"Not bloody likely" he muttered.

"Spike...." Buffy began warningly. With a huff the nervous vampire set her down.

"Make it quick." He growled, scowling warningly at Angel, who ignored him.

"Angel." Buffy said, coming to stand before the only man she'd thought she'd ever be able to love. He raised his head to look at her, love and sadness etched on his face. The brunette managed a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Buffy ran into his arms hugging him fiercely, Angel closed his eyes as they embraced, savoring the feel of her one last time, they both ignored Spike's grunt of protest.

Buffy pulled back gently to look into Angel's dark eyes. "You'll always be in my heart."

"I know." Angel whispered. "I hope you'll be happy."

Buffy smiled. "I think I will." Leaning up she met his lips in chaste kiss. Angel sighed as they let each other go, nodding at her in acceptance as she stepped back towards Spike who was glowering furiously.

With a growl the blonde vampire yanked her against him, possessively crushing his mouth to hers, Buffy rolled her eyes, then moaned slightly as his tongue entered her mouth and she felt heat suffuse her body as her knees went weak. Pulling back to look with satisfaction at her flushed face Spike once again hoisted her into his arms.

"Mine." He whispered in her ear sending shivers down her spine. She scowled and punched him weakly in the shoulder. "Now, now, Slayer," he muttered in her ear, "that wasn't very nice." About to move in for a quick nuzzle he stopped and looked instead at Angel, who stood watching them, a strange half-smile on his face, though his eyes were brooding.

"Oh cheer up Peaches." Spike smirked as he walked past him, a squirming Buffy held tight against his chest. "Things aren't quite as bad as you think. Have you checked on the Prom Queen lately?"

Buffy stopped her squirming for a moment to look at Angel's face. The dark haired vamp gaped at them for a moment as if thunderstruck, then whirled and set off for the stairs at dead run. Gunn followed at a more sedate pace, giving Spike a weary salute as he limped off to find Lorne and the others.

Epilogue

"Well luv," Spike asked as he carried a smiling Slayer towards the doors at the end of the wrecked lobby a few minutes later. Staff and lawyers were running around like ants in an upset mound, fretting through the rubble. The couple paid no attention to them, thinking only of each other. "What do you want to do now?"

Buffy grinned wickedly up at him, mischief dancing in her hazel eyes. "Oh, I can think of a few things."

"Oh, and what are they pet." He purred in her ear, pressing her body tighter against his.

Buffy smiled impishly at him. "Well first we should call Dawn and Xander and let them know we're okay, and then I'm sure Giles will want a full report, and Willow will want to do some spells, you know, to figure out what you are now and— "

"I think not." Spike yelped indignantly. "I won't have Red and that Watcher poking at me like some bleedin lab rat!"

"Well then we should share the story with all the SIT's," Buffy continued brightly "and–" Spike silenced her with a hand over her mouth.

"That's quite enough of that pet." He said firmly. "You're mine now. And I'm not bloody well sharing you with anyone." He rolled his eyes when he saw her glare. "Well, at least not for a day or two at any rate," He leered at her suggestively. "maybe by then I'll be ready to let you out of bed."

Buffy shuddered deliciously at the thoughts that sentence conjured.

"Let's go home." She said as she leaned up for another kiss.

"I am home." He whispered against her mouth, sending shivers of joy coursing through her body while an answering smile lit her face.

Grinning like a ponce William the Bloody stepped through the lobby door into the afternoon sunshine, his dearest love cradled in his arms, never to let go.


End file.
